May 3 - Happy Birthday, Golda Meir

Posted on May 3, 2021

Key Points

This is an update of my post published on May 3, 2010:

Golda Mabovitch was born on this day in 1898 in Kiev, which was then in the Russian Empire. (The area later became part of the Soviet Union, and it is now part of Ukraine). She moved with her father to the U.S. in 1906. Even though she knew no English as she first started school in Mikwaukee (Wisconsin), she ended up, not just learning the language, but thriving and achieving: she formed the American Young Sisters Society, ran a fundraiser, and graduated as the class valedictorian.

I guess you could say that she showed leadership skills!

As a teen, Meir moved in with her sister in Denver, Colorado, where she met the man she later married, Morris Meyerson. (She took on her husband’s name but later changed it to Meir.) In 1921 the couple moved to Palestine to live on a kibbutz, which is a collective farm, and after World War II Meir participated in the setting up of the state of Israel.

She served in a variety of ways in the government of the new nation, and eventually, in 1969, she became Prime Minister of Israel. She was only the third woman in the world to hold a prime ministership.

By the way, that elementary school in Milwaukee that she attended years and years ago is now called Golda Meir School.

Read some Golda Meir quotes.

Did you know…?

Israel uses more solar energy per capita (per person) than any country in the world. More than 90% of all households use solar energy for part of their energy needs!

Jerusalem, the capital city of Israel, is one of the oldest cities in the world, with a history that stretches back to the 3000s B.C.

Israel is considered part of the continent of Asia.

Remember, Golda Meir was the third woman in the world to serve as prime minister of her country. Interestingly, the first two women who served as prime minister were also from Asia!